Attending: Vicky Mishcon, Janet Moore, Andy Prokosch, Jeff Dickinson, Steve and Gisela Darling, Pecco Beaufays, Larry and Susan Chase, Sophie Viandier, Maria Glorioso, Sarah Simonds, Dave Harris, Bill Spear, Nancy Teach, Alan McIntyre, Marj Roy, Mario Ratzki, Tom Schamberg, David Karrick, Bob Irving

Sarah Simonds, representing Vital Communities (a Vermont-based non-profit), began with an overview of Solarize Upper Valley and then offered information and suggestions, all with the goal of encouraging local residents and small businesses to consider installing solar-electric systems on their property via a group-purchase agreement. (See this article.)

Following Sarah’s presentation, Andover Energy Group (AEG) members addressed the following:

1. Old Time Fair table worked well, and Ken Wells stayed throughout the day to answer technical questions.

2. Bill Johnstone and Carol Wood, both from the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, will join AEG for a lunchtime discussion at Highland Lake Inn on Monday, August 25, at 11:30 AM, regarding NHEC support for major alternative-energy projects in Andover.

3. There is no progress on the idea for a plug-in vehicle expo. However, Andy talked with Dave Kidder at the Ice House Museum in New London, who is supportive of an event on Ice House property in the spring.

4. For the Special Olympics event on Saturday, September 27, we might be able to get ReVision Energy to power the event. Alan is working on it through Proctor. AEG could sponsor a table to highlight solar power and hand out Solarize info. Jeff brought up the notion of a movable battery pack, charged beforehand from local capacity, to power vendors and inflatables. We will bring up the battery pack idea at another meeting.

5. Get magnets, t-shirts, key chains with USB ports, mugs, stainless steel coffee cups? Should we just publicize Solarize? Use the Solarize logo on a t-shirt?

6. Re: a local Wood Bank, Maria has contact information for loggers, wood splitters, etc. Steve Allenby, Wood Bank organizer, needs work crews.

We meet next on Thursday, September 4, at Highland Lake Inn.